I've completed 12-hours of masters counseling coursework and, with little prior experience to speak of, I found myself reeling from the new perspectives and thought processes that began to seep into my awareness. My newly-discovered understanding of what a therapeutic relationship looks like and what goes on in the mind of the counselor has led to a major transition in my perspective and in addition to growing in understanding, the last 4 months have been a time of:
- Stabilization: I have not lived in the same place for more than 4 consecutive weeks at a time for almost 4 years. Reclaiming routine, building new relationships and nesting in my new place have been wonderfully enjoyable! My room is now a sanctuary where I read, sleep and study with a renewed sense of appreciation for familiarity.
- Exploration: I have had the opportunity to investigate different counseling theories, trying them on to see if they fit my personal perspectives and character. I have also had the opportunity to attend workshops on various expressive arts therapies and dreamwork therapy.
- Culination (aka - taking a stab at the culinary arts): I find myself moving to basic foods, losing a taste for preservatives and artificial additives and returning to natural, organic nutrition. This past year I was excited to celebrate giving up red meat, chocolate and fried foods. My primary motivation was discipline, making choices to better care for my body and be creative with my diet. While I am a little late out of the gate in 2011, I am starting up again with this regimen!
- Deepening: I have had the opportunity to set aside some time throughout this past semester to contemplate my current state - spiritually and relationally. I was thankful to be able to steal away for a few days in January to take myself on a little mini-retreat with the Lord, I returned refreshed and grounded with an intense desire to just sit with the Lord - without petitions, without requests, but just spend time thanking him and learning more about his beautiful heart for us. In addition, I am becoming more involved with other Christian students through a graduate as well as undergraduate group, I am excited to see where this adventure takes me this year!
- Dating: Phil and I celebrated our 1 year date-a-versary this past January 30th and I enjoyed him surprising me by re-enacting several moments from our first meeting one another as well as the dates leading up to our decision to pursue exclusive dating and deepening in our relationship. We look forward to what this coming year will bring.
Classes started off mid-January and I have loaded my schedule with 15-hours of graduate work. The reading is fairly involved and I find myself spending most of my days cuddled up with a good diversity in counseling or ethical and legal issues text, sipping hot tea and considering the implications of this education on my future career.
My cohort has heard on more than one occasion, that 'you must go through the counseling process yourself before you can counsel others'. With that, I completed 10 course-required, counseling sessions as a client. While I entered into those sessions without any major life issues in mind to discuss, I completed my sessions with a deeper understanding of myself, my perceptions, my personal biases and what I would consider to be the footnotes to the story I tell myself about the world around me. Wow!
I not only enjoyed the process but seem to catch myself continuing the process even on my own. When exchanges happen between people around me, I find myself looking for the meaning and the emotion behind the words they are saying. I watch more carefully for nonverbal inflections, pauses and moments of struggle, I listen.. truly listen more carefully than ever before and I am continuously surprised by what I hear even in the silence.
Onward into semester 2! May my posts be shorter and more frequent in the future!
